Wine Spectator: Very lush, with roasted fig, dark boysenberry preserves and Black Forest cake flavors woven seamlessly together, stitched with bold spice notes and backed by a very racy graph...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is another great success from Chateau Montelena. It is actually performing better than the 1985 at the moment, but in the long run I do not...

Wine Spectator: Tight and perhaps even less flashy than usual, it is slow to reveal its complex range of earthy, cedary currant and black cherry...

Wine Spectator: Firmly tannic, dark in color, with lively, chewy tannins wrapped around a solid core of earthy currant, anise, mineral and sage flavors. Classic Montelena in its structure and...

Wine Spectator: Dark in color with decadent aromas of ripe fruit, earth and amazing mint and spearmint undertones, yet there's also an underlying meaty funkiness. Full-bodied, with layers of ...

Wine Spectator: Black licorice and blackberry aromas, with hints of mineral, lead to a full-bodied palate. Very chewy, with loads of tannins, yet this follows through with beautifully ripe fr...

Wine Spectator: A bit of a brute, with a very chewy bittersweet ganache, tobacco and roasted fig core splayed open right now by a dagger of roasted apple wood, allspice and cedar. Long and de...

Wine Spectator: A bit of a brute, with a very chewy bittersweet ganache, tobacco and roasted fig core splayed open right now by a dagger of roasted apple wood, allspice and cedar. Long and de...

Wine Spectator: Rock solid, displaying a dense core of plum, steeped currant and braised fig fruit, with racy charcoal and ganache notes. Intensely chalky, offering flesh and refinement to ma...

Wine Spectator: Rock solid, displaying a dense core of plum, steeped currant and braised fig fruit, with racy charcoal and ganache notes. Intensely chalky, offering flesh and refinement to ma...

Wine Spectator: Rock solid, displaying a dense core of plum, steeped currant and braised fig fruit, with racy charcoal and ganache notes. Intensely chalky, offering flesh and refinement to ma...

Wine Spectator: This has aromatic range and depth of fruit, offering enticing dark currant, plum and blackberry notes that show lots of savory herb and racy chalk notes, with a long, gravelly...

Wine Spectator: This has aromatic range and depth of fruit, offering enticing dark currant, plum and blackberry notes that show lots of savory herb and racy chalk notes, with a long, gravelly...

Wine Spectator: This has aromatic range and depth of fruit, offering enticing dark currant, plum and blackberry notes that show lots of savory herb and racy chalk notes, with a long, gravelly...

Wine Spectator: Well-made in an elegant style. Clean, pure and focused; a lovely red packed with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon), coffee and plum. Smooth tannins, refined finish. Firm backbone will...

Wine Spectator: A vibrant, racy style, delivering pure cherry, raspberry and floral flavors underscored by mineral notes. Though not a big wine, this has intensity and a saturation of flavor ...

Stephen Tanzer's IWC: Good deep red. Wild aromas of black cherry, mint, licorice, leather and game, plus a whiff of eucalyptus. Densely packed and sweet, with powerful, chewy flavors of chocolate, ...

Wine Spectator: A pretty version for the appellation, with raspberry, cassis and floral aromas and flavors. Picks up licorice and spice note on the finish, adding depth and interest as the ta...

Wine Spectator: This is juicy, with blackberry, boysenberry and pomegranate flavors converging on the firm tannins. There's acidity too, giving this a lean, austere profile by the finish. The...

Wine Spectator: Dark and polished to a high gleam of black cherry, blackberry, vanilla and smoky toast aromas and flavors. Unabashedly modern, yet also delicious for its pure fruit notes and ...